Why Small Wins Matter: Building Momentum in Your Journey
If like me, then you’re a person that is so ambitious that your to do list and goal tracker is never complete. Ambitious people are prone to being hard on themselves, never satisfied and always ready for the next challenge they want to conquer. When do the ambitious celebrate their ambition?
If you said rarely, occasionally or never — not only are you a pro at adverbs of frequency but you are also you’re not using the right adverbs. Celebrating your small wins when achieving anything in life is important because not only does it build momentum for what you will achieve next but also builds a tangible example of you completing something you didn’t know you could but believe you could. Celebrating a win releases dopamine, the “feel-good” hormone, which boosts motivation and focus. I don’t know anyone out there, ambitious or not that doesn’t want to benefit from a dose of dopamine.
Celebrating small wins isn’t just something we do for the dopamine; it’s a powerful tool for staying motivated and making progress. Each tiny achievement acts as a spark of encouragement, reinforcing your ability to succeed and inspiring you to take the next step — like celebrating your first uninterrupted mile on the path to a marathon, fueling your drive to tackle mile two. These celebrations also strengthen habits by tying progress to positive emotions, making it easier to stick with routines like daily journaling. Beyond motivation, acknowledging small wins shifts your perspective from what’s lacking to what’s already accomplished, cultivating gratitude and boosting your well-being. Research by Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer shows that people are more motivated by small, frequent wins than big, infrequent ones.
For the relentlessly ambitious, these moments of reflection are essential to avoid burnout, offering a chance to recharge and sustain momentum. And perhaps most importantly, every small win builds self-efficacy — a growing belief in your own ability to achieve even bigger goals. So why wait for the finish line? Celebrate along the way and watch how far it takes you.
Ambitious individuals often skip celebrating their progress, driven by two common misconceptions: productivity and complacency. Many believe that taking time to acknowledge small wins detracts from pursuing the next goal, seeing it as a distraction rather than a tool for growth. In reality, these moments of recognition are essential for sustaining energy and motivation, acting as fuel for continued progress. Others fear that celebrating successes might lead to complacency, equating acknowledgment with stagnation. However, recognizing your achievements isn’t about settling — it’s about building momentum and reinforcing your ability to strive for even greater goals. By reframing these beliefs, ambitious people can embrace celebrations as a strategy for long-term success rather than a hindrance. Convinced yet?
So let’s talk about how to celebrate these small wins:
My personal favourite — finding a sunset and sitting in my car or walking and trail to realize I did exactly what I set out to. Simple, quiet and exactly what I need.
Write a note on your calendar!
Write yourself notes or a journal post about them.
Take a photo of yourself with something that directly relates to the achievement. Put it somewhere you can see as a reminder of the path you’re creating for yourself.
Keep it simple — get your favorite thing to eat or drink. Give yourself time to reflect on what you have achieved.
Call your support system and give yourself space to talk about your achievement.
Do something that you have been putting off — go and see a movie, get your nails done, go to an event which may incorporate a hobby you have been wanting to try.
Write yourself a card/ do your happy dance.
Life’s too short to wait for the confetti cannon at the finish line — throw yourself a mini parade every time you take a step forward. Sure, it might feel a little extra to high-five yourself for remembering your reusable bags, but hey, small wins deserve big energy. So go ahead, celebrate like you just solved world peace — because sometimes, finishing that to-do list is peace in your world.
What is something that you shared recently, share it with us below and let us celebrate you!
